IT security

Bank of India’s 2FA with mutual authentication goes beyond OTPs

Indian BFSI major Bank of India chose mutual authentication when it required a two factor authentication (2FA) solution. There’s been no looking back. Continue Reading

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• Varun Haran, Reporter

Study: Shnakule, four other malnets caused most 2011 attacks

Huge global malnets, such as Shnakule, were responsible for most attacks in 2011, and Blue Coat predicts they will trigger 66% of all attacks in 2012. Continue Reading

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• Ron Condon

UK hacktivist cases should spur business to action, says lawyer

The last of four alleged UK members of hacktivist group LulzSec has appeared in Westminster magistrates court in London Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

SourceForge takes down Anonymous operating system

The open-source collaboration website SourceForge has taken down an Ubuntu Linux OS project purportedly affiliated with online hactivist group Anonymous, after a review by security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

BBC cyber attacks highlight difficulty of attribution

The BBC has said it is was targeted by cyber attacks following a campaign by Iran against its Persian service, but stopped short of accusing Tehran of ordering the cyber attacks Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

10 Wi-Fi security tools for your arsenal

With Wi-Fi’s growth, security administrators and pen testers alike have their hands full. Here’s a list of essential Wi-Fi security tools to ease the stress. Continue Reading

By

• Karthik Poojary, Amazon

Hackers expose weak security on Digital Playground porn site

A hacking group claims to have stolen the details of more than 70,000 users of the Digital Playground porn site Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Apple iOS 5.1 patches 81 vulnerabilities

Alongside its ‘new iPad’ release, Apple Inc. releases iOS 5.1, the latest version of its mobile computing platform with fixes for 81 security holes. Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity.in Staff

NIST releases SP 800-153 WLAN security guidelines

The recently released NIST SP 800-153 addresses security of WLANS. Join us, as we take a closer look at the document’s recommendations. Continue Reading

By

• Varun Haran, Reporter

FBI informer Hector Xavier Monsegur aids in arrest of LulzSec hackers

Authorities in the US, UK and Republic of Ireland have arrested seven suspected members of hacktivist group LulzSec, including Hector Xavier Monsegur, who helped investigators Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Session fixation protection: How to stop session fixation attacks

Session fixation attacks rely on poorly managed Web application cookies. Rob Shapland answers a reader’s question on session fixation protection. Continue Reading

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• Rob Shapland

Rogue IT manager jailed for two years after £123k procurement scam

A rogue IT procurement manager has been jailed for two years after he colluded with two IT suppliers to defraud grocer Nisa Today out of £123,000 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Opinion: Is big data just big hype?

If the deluge of headlines and vendor marketing materials is anything to go by, big data is the next big thing. So how much is there really to all this big data talk? Continue Reading

By

• Martha Bennett, Forrester Research Inc.

2012 security outlook

This report, based on extensive research from chief information security officers, identifies the top 10 security imperatives for 2012. Continue Reading

RSA 2012: IT security experts urge enterprises to ban smartphone BYOD schemes

Enterprises should ban employees from using their own smartphones for work, a panel of IT security practitioners told the RSA Conference 2012 Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

DWP tenders for £25m IDA services

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has tendered for a £25m identity assurance (IDA) framework to create a marketplace of providers across the public sector. Continue Reading

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• Kathleen Hall, TechTarget

IT departments risk losing responsibility for IT security

IT security professionals can no longer take it for granted that IT security will continue as part of the IT function Continue Reading

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• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Social media to support business continuity

Three-quarters of organisations will use social media as part of their business continuity management (BCM) strategies by 2015 with communication during crises a key component of its role. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Post Office reveals plans for identity assurance services

The Post Office is tendering for hardware and software which will enable it to be a provider of the government's Identity Assurance (IDA) services.    Continue Reading

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• Kathleen Hall, TechTarget

The CISO Power List, 2012

Our CISO Power List for 2012 brings you the who’s who in the Indian information security scene. Join us, as we pay tribute to India’s top 15 CISOs. Continue Reading

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• Varun Haran, Reporter

Windows security case study: Controlling Windows 7 user privileges

After migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7, Oxford University Press used Avecto’s Privilege Guard to control Windows 7 user privileges. Continue Reading

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• Ron Condon

Arup Chatterjee

SearchSecurity.in CISO Power List 2012 Profile: Arup Chatterjee, CISO, WNS Global Services. Continue Reading

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• The CISO Power List, 2012

Agnelo D'Souza

SearchSecurity.in CISO Power List 2012 Profile: Agnelo D‘Souza, CISO, Kotak Mahindra Bank. Continue Reading

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• The CISO Power List, 2012

Sunil Dhaka

SearchSecurity.in CISO Power List 2012, Profile: Sunil Dhaka, CISO, ICICI Bank. Continue Reading

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• CISO Power List 2012

OSSIM update enables cyber threat intelligence sharing

The latest update to the Open Source Security Information Management (OSSIM) base system includes a mechanism for sharing cyber threat intelligence. Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Sameer Ratolikar

SearchSecurity.in CISO Power List 2012: Profile for Sameer Ratolikar, CISO, Bank of India. Continue Reading

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• CISO Power List 2012

Pankaj Agrawal

SearchSecurity.in CISO Power List 2012 Profile: Pankaj Agrawal, CISO & Head of Technology Governance, Aircel Continue Reading

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• CISO Power List 2012

Google bypassed IE too, says Microsoft

Microsoft has accused Google of bypassing the privacy settings of Internet Explorer users after Safari faux pas Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Trust and security in the cloud

Increasing interest from IT management in SaaS is focusing the spotlight once again on cloud security. This study investigates those concerns. Continue Reading

UK regulator PhonepayPlus fines Dutch typosquatting companies

UK phone regulator PhonepayPlus fines two Dutch firms £100,000 for exploiting well-known websites Wikipedia, Twitter and YouTube Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Burp Suite training tutorial: Part 3 – Sequencer, decoder and composer

In the third installment of our Burp Suite training tutorial, learn how to analyze tokens, decode requests and compare responses using Burp Suite tools. Continue Reading

By

• Karthik Poojary, Amazon

Buyer's Guide: How to prepare your organisation for IPv6

The switch to IPv6 – on 6 June – shows just how imminent the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is. Is your organisation ready? Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

President of European Parliament critical of Acta

After a weekend of public protests against the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Agreement (Acta), the president of the European Parliament has added his voice to those of critcs. Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IE update top priority for Patch Tuesday

Microsoft releases nine bulletins addressing 21 vulnerabilities in its monthly Patch Tuesday security update on 14 February Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Web application vulnerability statistics show security losing ground

New Web application vulnerability statistics show the number of vulnerabilities is rising, despite the use of Web application development frameworks. Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

UK to take part in weekend protests against Acta

Protests against the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Agreement (Acta) have been organised across Europe, with most set to take place on 11 February. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Global Disaster Recovery (DR) Index 2012

The Acronis Global Disaster Recovery (DR) index is an annual benchmark of businesses disaster recovery preparations worldwide. Continue Reading

FBI investigates Anonymous intercept of call with Scotland Yard

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is looking into how a conference call with Scotland Yard was intercepted by a member of the activist hacking group Anonymous. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Microsoft spurs Browsium to rewrite tool for running IE6 on Windows 7

Microsoft has spurred Browsium to rewrite its tool for running IE6 on Windows 7, limiting the security threat posed by continued use of IE6. Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

Fewer than a third of UK organisations plan mobile security projects

Despite the media hype around the adoption of mobile technologies and the need to secure them, relatively few UK organisations are planning mobile security projects, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

When X.509 security certificates fail, servers break

Why are X.509 certificates causing computers to stop dead? Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

ICO fines Midlothian Council £140K for data breaches

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has imposed its highest penalty yet of £140,000 on Midlothian Council for breaching personal data Continue Reading

MEP quits as thousands protest ACTA signing

A European MP has resigned after thousands of people in Poland protested against the international anti-counterfeiting trade agreement (ACTA) Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

EC publishes proposed data protection reforms

European Justice Commissioner, Viviane Reding, has unveiled the new European data privacy framework that includes new regulation. Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Burp Suite Tutorial: Part 2 – Intruder and repeater tools

Our Burp Suite tutorial’s second part covers intruder and repeater. Use this Burp Suite tutorial to customize attacks on Web apps via SQLi and XSS bugs. Continue Reading

By

• Karthik Poojary, Amazon

Advocacy group La Quadrature du Net rallies opposition to ACTA

As controversial anti-piracy legislation stalls in the US, a European group of free internet supporters, La Quadrature du Net, calls for a halt to similar legislation in the European Union. Continue Reading

Accenture Technology Vision

Download this report from Accenture to discover the 6 IT technology trends that will impact CIOs in 2012. Continue Reading

10 Linux security tools for system administrators

Linux-based tools for security are a boon to system admins for monitoring network security. Here are 10 popular and useful Linux-based security tools. Continue Reading

By

• Karthik Poojary, Amazon

Google mortified after staff access competitor's database

Google said it is mortified after people working on a project in Kenya were found to have stolen the details of a competitor’s customers and used them to sell its own products. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Rupert Murdoch attacks Barack Obama over online piracy legislation

News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch has accused Barack Obama's administration of siding with "Silicon Valley paymasters" as two anti-piracy bills go through US Congress. Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NHS Trust to appeal £375k data loss penalty

An NHS Trust is to appeal against a proposed monetary penalty of £375,000 after after patient records were stolen from a hospital and sold on eBay. Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Fighting fraud in government

Cybercrime has emerged as a growing threat to public sector organisations, this research from PwC reveals. Continue Reading

Burp Suite Guide: Part I – Basic tools

Our Burp Suite guide series explains how to use Burp Suite for security testing of Web apps. For a start, we look at proxy, spider, site scope and sitemap. Continue Reading

By

• Karthik Poojary, Amazon

Ramnit worm steals 45,000 Facebook passwords

A computer worm has begun targeting Facebook accounts and has stolen at least 45,000 login credentials from users, say security researchers. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The cyber-savvy CEO and growing cyber threats

This report from PwC explains why CEOs need to take the lead in protecting their organisations from the surge in cyber attacks. Continue Reading

TOGAF® and SABSA® Integration

This paper by the Open Group, outlines an approach to enhance TOGAF enterprise architecture methodology using the SABSA security architecture approach Continue Reading

IT in Europe, Security Edition: Password security standards and trends

Passwords have long been a security problem. This IT in Europe: Security Edition looks at password trends and alternative forms of authentication. Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity.co.UK Staff

Hacktivists plan to use satellites to by-pass internet censorship

Hacker activists plan to launch communication satellites to overcome the threat of internet censorship. Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Is it the end of the line for antivirus signatures?

Traditional antimalware can't keep up with the threat landscape. Are antivirus signatures destined for the rubbish bin? Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

Emerging 2012 security trends demand information security policy changes

2012 security trends involving cookies, fines, devices and threats will demand more skills -- and a little finesse -- from security professionals. Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

Alternatives to passwords: Replacing the ubiquitous authenticator

As the relative security of passwords falters, are they destined for obscurity? Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

ICO stands by unpopular UK cookie legislation with advice, warnings

Website owners have resisted compliance with cookie legislation so the ICO has issued more guidance and warnings to nudge them along. Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

Segregation of duties: Small business best practices

Segregating duties can be tough in organisations that have few staff members and resources. Get duty segregation best practices for SMBs. Continue Reading

By

• Michael Cobb

Sslstrip tutorial for penetration testers

Sslstrip is a powerful tool to extract sensitive credentials using HTTPS stripping. This sslstrip tutorial explains the working of sslstrip in-depth. Continue Reading

By

• Karthik Poojary, Amazon

CIOs must trade off innovation and maintenance in 2012

CIOs face major challenges in trading off stretched budgets between innovative projects and keeping the business running as usual in 2012. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CSRF attack: How hackers use trusted users for their exploits

A CSRF attack is a serious Web security threat that, combined with XSS, can be lethal. Learn about the CSRF attack’s anatomy, along with mitigation methods. Continue Reading

By

• Karthik Poojary, Amazon

How open data creates new opportunities for the UK

The use of open data could be a critical factor in determining the success or failure of the UK’s growth agenda this report from the business advisory firm Deloitte reveals. Continue Reading

Special report on EMC

This 8-page special report from Computer Weekly, packed with graphs and diagrams, is essential reading for anyone considering EMC as a supplier. Continue Reading

Cloud leaves many firewalls wanting – but could automation prove the silver bullet?

Most companies rely on firewalls, but the IT landscape is changing and so must approaches to security. Is there a silver bullet? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Adobe to release out-of-cycle patch for latest vulnerability

Adobe has issued a security advisory about a newly discovered and still unpatched vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat which is being used in "limited, targeted attacks in the wild". Continue Reading

Four things the 2012 CIO will need to focus on

As 2011 winds to a close, CIOs will already have turned their attention to 2012. What will you be doing? Continue Reading

By

• Anthony Caruana

Concerned about tablet security issues? Some are, others not so much

Users love their tablets, but security pros are concerned about tablet security issues. However, though tablets bring new threats, not everyone is ringing the alarm. Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

One in four IT security staff abuse admin rights, survey shows

At least one in four IT security staff use their privileged login rights to look at confidential information, a survey has revealed. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Breaking the code: Are passwords destined for obscurity?

User passwords for websites, email and social networks are often the weakest link in the security chain. The winter edition of IT in Europe: Information Security e-zine investigated the state of passwords in the UK and presented alternatives to the ubiquitous authenticator. Continue Reading

United Nations Development Programme investigates hacking claims

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is investigating claims from hacker group Team Poison that it extracted over 100 e-mail addresses and login details belonging to UN staff. Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

BackTrack 5 guide 4: How to perform stealth actions

With BackTrack 5, how to include stealth into attacks is a necessary skill for penetration testers. Our BackTrack 5 how to tutorial shows you the way Continue Reading

By

• Karthik Poojary, Amazon

Framework accelerates safety-critical defence systems development

Manufacturers and academics are collaborating in a 3.5 million project to create a software modelling framework that will speed up the development and certification of safety-critical systems used in aerospace and defence. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Bridging the information gap

The pace at which modern business tends to move has resulted in a situation where centralised decision-making struggles to keep up. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Buss, IDC Manufacturing Insights

Forensics key to effective info security, says E&Y

Intelligence-led security strategies are the most effective in eliminating vulnerabilities and preventing IP theft through enabling informed change, says consultancy firm Ernst & Young. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT security not always part of cloud decision, says IDC

Cloud adoption is outstripping security concerns, says Eric Domage, programme manager for IDC in Europe. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

EDF fined £1.3m for hacking into Greenpeace computers

A Paris court has fined French energy firm EDF £1.3m for hacking into Greenpeace computers to find out about the environmental group’s plans to block four planned nuclear power plants in the UK. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The market landscape for print security

This report is gives an overview of the security risks of the print environment , the market landscape, best practices for a print security strategy. Continue Reading

London cybersecurity conference: a missed opportunity?

World leaders gathered in London. Our prime minister and foreign secretary hosted all the luminaries and dignitaries. Was it worth it? Continue Reading

Quocirca: The market landscape for print security

This report by Quocirca analyst Louella Fernandes provides an overview of the inherent risks when operating an insecure print environment, best practice and the current market. Continue Reading

Analysis: Intelligence key to security business case

Information security is becoming an increasingly important part of any business as the value of information assets continually grow, as do the threats from cyber crime and espionage. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US and EU hold first joint cybersecurity exercise

The US and EU are holding their first joint cybersecurity exercise in Brussels on 3 November 2011, involving more than 20 EU member states and supported by the EU's cybersecurity agency Enisa and the US Department of Homeland Security. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The consumerisation of IT: it’s a trickle, not a tide, but you still need to be ready

If media headlines and supplier claims are to be believed, organisations today are faced with an unstoppable tide of many different types of personal device connected to the corporate network Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

The top five SME security challenges

Best practice in IT security and compliance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is often seen as a "grudge purchase", but SMEs face the same threat as larger organisations - just without their budgets. Continue Reading

By

• Lisa Kelly

MoD calls on academics, industry and inventors to pitch cyber security ideas

The Ministry of Defence is calling for innovative solutions from academia and industry to protect and secure UK interests in cyberspace. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government trials voice recognition for Universal Credit benefit claims

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is testing a voice recognition system to authenticate claimants of its flagship Universal Credits system, as part of the department's work on identity assurance (IDA). Continue Reading

By

• Kathleen Hall, TechTarget

Hague calls for collaboration to realise full potential of cyberspace

It is increasingly clear that countries with weak cyber defences and capabilities will find themselves at a serious strategic disadvantage given the rise of state-sponsored cyber attacks, according to foreign secretary William Hague. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Japan may be facing sustained cyber attack

Japan's mapping agency is the latest in a series of government agencies to be targeted by hackers, raising fears that the breaches are part of a series of sustained attacks. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Facebook admits to 600,000 cyber attacks a day

Facebook has revealed that every 24 hours it receives around 600,000 logins to the social networking website from impostors attempting to access users' messages, photos and other personal information. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK security strategy draws on growing expertise across Whitehall

The UK's soon-to-be-released cyber security strategy includes input from policy makers across government, says Nigel Harrison of the Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance (OCSIA). Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

BackTrack 5 Guide II: Exploitation tools and frameworks

Our BackTrack 5 guide looks at exploitation and privilege escalation techniques. This part of our guide will improve penetration testing skills. Continue Reading

By

• Karthik Poojary, Amazon

New batch of IDS, IPS evasion techniques are hitting their targets

Stonesoft has discovered 163 new advanced evasion techniques (AET), claiming these AETs can pass below the radar of some IDS, IPS products. Continue Reading

By

• Ron Condon

The Metasploit Framework Tutorial PDF compendium: Your ready reckoner

Get our Metasploit Framework tutorial installments in one place, with the aid of this Metasploit tutorial PDF collection. Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity.in Staff

Symantec uses visual maps to identify e-mail-based targeted attacks

Symantec has developed a way of detecting targeted attacks through mapping e-mail patterns to identify single gang activity. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Computer Weekly wins prestigious journalism award

Computer Weekly has won a prestigious award for its journalism. Freelance contributor and Computer Weekly blogger Mark Ballard won the Best Cybercrime Feature of the Year prize at this year's BT Information Security Journalism Awards. ... Continue Reading

By

• Computer Weekly Staff

85 sub-postmasters seek legal support in claims against Post Office computer system

Over 80 sub-postmasters are interested in taking legal action against the Post Office in relation to an allegedly faulty computer system. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA